Paint Furniture The Color Of The Gulf For A Coastal Look
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I painted this nightstand a pretty turquoise color, similar to the waters of the Gulf in Florida.
Hey friends! Hope you’re staying cool. It’s hard, I know. The heat index here in Middle Tennessee was 106° yesterday. I actually painted this piece in our house because the workshop is so hot. More on that later!
Today is our Furniture Fixer Upper Tour, and you know what that means – five fabulous makeovers. The links to my friends’ furniture flips are at the end of this tutorial.
Nightstand Makeover Inspired By Gulf Waters
I paid $27.50 for this nightstand from a local online auction company. Not a steal for sure, but furniture prices have gone up in the past year. These days I try to buy only smaller pieces because the JTS and I are too old to handle the big ones.
Supplies for the nightstand project:
- Sandpaper (100 grit)
- Painter’s tape
- Shower curtain liner or painter’s tarp
- Dixie Belle White Lightning
- Dixie Belle Bonding Boss
- Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint, The Gulf
- Dixie Belle Clear Wax
- Paintbrush
- Tools: pliers, brad nailer
Repairing the Nightstand Details
The nightstand had pretty appliqués on the legs, but one was missing.
Or so I thought. It was actually in the drawer.
started to sand the area where the appliqué had fallen off, but it was too rough, and there were nails sticking out. I pulled the nails out with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
That was one long nail.
Next I used a scraper to remove most of the gunk.
Then I sanded the area smooth with 100 grit sandpaper.
Instead of gluing the appliqué back on, I used my Ryobi brad nailer. The nail idea sounded quicker than glue, and I love using that tool.
Prepping the Nightstand for Paint
After making the repair, I cleaned the nightstand inside and out with White Lightning from Dixie Belle. It’s great for taking off built-up grease and grime. I use it on my cabinets too.
Next, I taped off the area around the drawer front and the inside lip of the cabinet for a straight, clean paint edge. This piece is too nice to just paint all willy-nilly.
Priming the Nightstand
Because the dark stain might bleed through the paint, I applied one coat of Bonding Boss before the topcoat of paint.
Painting Furniture Indoors
Remember when I mentioned painting this piece in the house? I first laid down a new shower curtain liner over the carpet in our guest bedroom. Shower curtain liners are cheap and make great alternatives to painter’s tarps.
If you look back at the photo with the painter’s tape, you’ll notice how the legs sank down into the carpet. That makes it hard to paint the legs without the plastic shower curtain sticking to them.
I went through the house looking for something to sit the nightstand on and found an extra refrigerator shelf in the laundry room. It worked perfectly to raise the legs. We’ve never used that shelf, but the paint can always be washed or scraped off.
The Perfect Coastal Paint Color
Now for the pretty part! How about that beautiful beachy, coastal paint color? It’s The Gulf from Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral Paint.
I love the chalk mineral paint because it glides on so smoothly and covers well.
I probably could have gotten by with one coat of paint because it covered really well. But I was painting at night, and the lighting in our bedrooms is really bad, so I missed a few spots in the detailed areas.
The Workshop for Painting Furniture
It’s so much easier to paint in our workshop with the garage door open and natural light flowing in.
When we built our workshop in 2012, we didn’t have heating or cooling installed. Boy, was that an error in judgment. Every summer since, we’ve regretted trying to save that money.
About a month ago, we got an estimate from our heat and air guy to install a split unit in the workshop. We’re still waiting on the installation because it’s so hot that everyone is having air conditioner problems. We totally understand the delay. It is going to happen, though.
Painting in those tight bedroom quarters meant I got more paint than usual on me and my watch too. I took a photo of the paint spots all over the bottom of my feet, but no one wants to see that.
Finishing Touches and Waxing Tips
For this sophisticated-looking piece, I decided not to distress the paint. Some of you will appreciate that. I really liked the original wood knobs, so I simply painted them the same color as the nightstand.
Because of the lighting in the house and painting some at night and some during the day, the colors are a little off in the prep and paint process photos.
I removed the painter’s tape, and that clean paint line brought a smile to my face. The best time to remove painter’s tape is just after applying your last coat of paint. If you wait until the paint dries, it may pull up some of the paint. I usually don’t have this problem with furniture, but when painting trim or walls, I’ve had it happen.
Before and after closing the cabinet door, I rubbed a bit of clear wax on the hinges to help prevent the paint from rubbing off. I also rubbed wax on the edges of the door, all sides of the drawer front, and the inside edges of the nightstand where the door and drawer meet the nightstand body.
After the wax dried, I buffed it up, closed the door, and put the drawer back in place.
The Nightstand Reveal
The Gulf color is so pretty. I think it might be my new favorite. I laughed at the JTS because every time he came into the bedroom while I was working on the nightstand, he commented on how pretty it was.
It was really difficult for me to keep from distressing those wood appliqués. Who knows? Next week the nightstand might have a totally different look – maybe distressed paint and whitewashing for a definite coastal feel. We’ll see.
Those wood knobs were a thing at one time, and I really like the shape.
I’m hoping that when I open the door after the paint has cured for a few days, the paint doesn’t rub off the hinges or the sides of the door.
What do you think of the nightstand? Isn’t the furniture style lovely and the color a showstopper? Do you think it would work as a side table? Leave a note for me before heading out on the tour.
See what my furniture flipping friends have for us today by clicking the tour links below the “before makeovers” photo collage……..
Furniture Fixer Upper Tour:
Painted Dressing Table and Chair – Confessions of a Serial DIY’er
French Provincial Furniture Flip – Salvaged Inspirations
Vintage Desk with Missing Drawers – My Repurposed Life
The Easy Way To Darken A Wood Bed – A Ray Of Sunlight
Coastal Furniture Makeover – Petticoat Junktion (you are here)
If you love the coastal look as much as I do, you’ll want to see the flamingo colored chest of drawers I painted here and the Nantucket Atlantic Coastal Style piece here!
As always, thanks for being here, Kathy
